Reading extensively (ER) in a second language is widely believed to build reading rates and fluency (e.g. Day & Bamford, 1998; Grabe & Stoller, 2002). Several studies have established the effectiveness of ER in increasing reading speed (Huffman, 2014; McLean & Rouault, 2017; inter alia), and this present study is intended to contribute the field in much the same manner. This study examined the reading speed of one complete cohort of first-year Japanese university students majoring in English (n=77) over the course of their second semester. Participants in this study read a minimum of 120,000 words, and an average in excess of 220,000, with two surpassing the half-million mark! A series of weekly in-class speed reading exercises and associated comprehension quizzes were administered throughout the semester. Reading speeds, quiz scores, semester reading volume, and TOEIC scores were cross-analyzed for statistical significance. This initial investigation will serve as the foundation for a longer-term study that will result in a full 2 years of ER—and a minimum of 540,000 words—being completed by this cohort. This poster presentation will allow the presenter to engage in meaningful discussion with presentation attendees in order to more effectively administer the second year of this study. Presentation attendees will gain a greater understanding of how a successful ER program can be designed and administered, and have the opportunity to challenge the presenter regarding the pedagogical validity of their methodology.